White Rock Hotel, Hastings

When you're at the seaside and fancy a pint, how many of us would go into a hotel? Not many. Which is a shame. Hastings sea front is littered with so many grim pubs and this place gets overlooked. Four decent ales on the hand pumps, and over twenty local bottled ales behind the bar. With bar staff who know what they are doing, the place is welcoming and I for one will be going back.

Situated opposite the town's pier, the White Rock looks like any other seasfront hotel and for the most part, that is exactly what you get. The entrance leads straight to the reception with the bar leading off to the right. The first impressions are of a typically genteel hotel bar, largely laid out for hotel guests ready to sit down for dinner or afternoon teas. The style is modern with dull shades and the zero ambiences that normally go with drinking in a hotel bar. Despite feeling a bit uncomfortable wandering in wearing a football shirt I was warmly greeted by the uniformed French brman and studied the 4 pumps which enticed me here in the first place. They admirably support local breweries and on my visit Harveys Olympia, King & Co Mallard and 2 Dark Star Ales (Hophead and Sunburst) were available and easily justified the visit. The lagars were of the premium top of the range variety and prices did not seem to be as steep as I would have expected in such surroundings. Along the front of the hotel is a decked terrace that overlooks the seafront and the pier which, fortunately for us, had a few seats available so I could enjoy the beers (and they were most enjoyable) without having to suffer the blandness of the bar itself. Sadly the traffic noise all but drowns out the seagulls and the waves crashing onto the beach. The bottom line is that this is a wonderful spot for a sunny Saturday in August but not really a place for a wet Tuesday in November and without the quality beers it wouldn't pass for much at all.

Large sea front hotel with a large open bar area that extends outside. There are 3 real ale pumps and when we went they had our favourite beer, Dark Star American Pale Ale, unfortunately it was not as nice as it should be and the other pump was selling something undrinkable. Great effort for a hotel,must try harder though,.

New ownership since 2007. Big upgrade and refurb by new owner has made this worth seeking out. Always 4 real ales available - usually local micros. Good value high quality food. On a sunny day you can sit on the terrace and enjoy views out to sea.

Official site of the White Rock, contains menu - www.thewhiterockhotel.co.uk

Official site of the White Rock, contains menu - www.thewhiterockhotel.co.uk